Whenever times got tough for Gloucester's Caulin Rogers this cross country season, he would just think back to the year's first meet.
On Sept. 15, the Fishermen hosted Peabody and were handed their only loss of the season, Rogers was disappointed with his fifth place finish in the race but knew he would have another shot against Peabody's best runners Evan Braz, Nick Cristensen and TJ D'Amato.
Rogers got his chance last Saturday at Bradley Palmer Park in Ipswich at the Northeastern Conference Meet. The Fishermen junior captain ended up beating all three Peabody runners en route to a first-place finish and the individual Northeastern Conference championship with a time of 16:15, 17 seconds ahead of runner-up Braz. Teammate Andrew Ryan finished fourth in the race but Peabody was able to come away with the title in the team standings. Both Rogers and Ryan were NEC All-Stars.
Rogers is the first Gloucester junior to win the NEC championship since Liam Anastasia-Murphy did it in 2006. Rogers also joins some of the best runners from a storied program who won the NEC championship.
"It's great to be considered in the same caliber as a kid like Liam," said Rogers, who finished second in the NEC in his sophomore season last year. "It's a huge honor to win the race in such a tough field. I was really happy that Andrew and I both had strong finishes. Andrew is an unbelievable runner and the two of us push each other to get better every practice. Without him I don't think I would have won the race."
Rogers credited his game plan and his long memory for the victory.
"Coach (Dave) Dunsky told me to hang with the Peabody kids at the beginning of the race," Rogers said. "And he wanted me to make my move at the end, I adjusted my training accordingly and it worked out. Losing to (Peabody) early in the season gave me the determination to train all season and improve myself."
The Rogers family was represented well Saturday, as Caulin's older sister Abbie, a senior captain on the Gloucester girls squad, finished in fourth place with a time of 20:13; the Gloucester girls ended up finishing seventh overall. Rogers earned an all-star bid for the performance.
"It was great to see my sister have a great race," Rogers said. "My parents are really excited. They love coming out to the races and they give both of us a ton of support."
What's most impressive about Rogers being crowned as NEC champion, is the fact that he trains cross country far less than his competitors. While most cross country athletes run winter and spring track, Rogers plays basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer giving him just three months of training each season compared to year-round training for most of his competitors. Rogers was a starting designated hitter and second baseman for the Division 1 North champion Gloucester baseball team this spring as a sophomore.
Because of the limited training, Rogers is at a disadvantage, especially early in the season. The junior, however, did not let that effect his standing as the best runner in the conference.
"It is a bit of a disadvantage at the beginning of the year," Rogers said. "But I have the time to get into cross country shape. I'm really serious about baseball and I play that all summer, but once the cross country season starts that's the most important thing to me."
Rogers, Ryan and the rest of the Gloucester boys and girls cross country teams now turn their focus to the Division 2 Eastern Mass. Championship on Nov. 14 at Franklin Park in Boston. The Gloucester boys will not have to face Peabody as the Tanners are competing in the Division 1 race.
With Rogers and Ryan being two of the favorites in the race, combined with a strong supporting cast including Winslow Powers, Noah Mondello and Wes Dunn who finished 11th, 13th and 16th respectively on Saturday.
"We are looking to win," Rogers said. "Andrew and I are looking to finish in the top five, we have high expectations but we really think we have a good chance of winning. We are strong top to bottom and we have been adjusting our training to the course."
